(1) The Legislative Assembly declares that service as a public official is a public trust and that, as one safeguard for that trust, the people require all public officials to comply with the applicable provisions of this chapter.

(2) The Legislative Assembly recognizes and values the work of all public officials, whether elected or appointed.

(3) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that many public officials are volunteers and serve without compensation.

(4) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that it is the policy of the state to have serving on many state and local boards and commissions state and local officials who may have potentially conflicting public responsibilities by virtue of their positions as public officials and also as members of the boards and commissions, and declares it to be the policy of the state that the holding of such offices does not constitute the holding of incompatible offices unless expressly stated in the enabling legislation.

(5) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that public officials should put loyalty to the highest ethical standards above loyalty to government, persons, political party or private enterprise.

(6) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that public officials should not make private promises that are binding upon the duties of a public official, because a public official has no private word that can be binding on public duty.

(7) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that public officials should expose corruption wherever discovered.

(8) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that public officials should uphold the principles described in this section, ever conscious of the public’s trust. [1974 c.72 1,1a; 1987 c.566 § 7; 2005 c.22 § 185; 2007 c.865 § 28; 2009 c.68 § 1]